Improved performance in silicon enzyme microreactors obtained by homogeneous porous silicon carrier matrix.

The catalytic performance of porous silicon (PS) micro enzyme reactors (muIMER) is strongly dependent on the PS matrix morphology for enzyme immobilisation. PS was achieved in the muIMER by anodisation in a HF-ethanol mixture. PS etching of structured silicon surfaces commonly results in an inhomogeneous pore formation. The deep channel microreactors described herein have previously suffered from these phenomena, yielding non-optimised muIMERs. In order to obtain a homogeneous PS layer on the deep microreactor channel walls, different reactor geometries (channel wall thicknesses of 50 and 75 mum) were anodised at 10 and 50 mA cm(-2) for anodisation times ranging between 0 and 50 min. The muIMERs were evaluated by immobilising two types of enzymes, glucose oxidase (GOx) and trypsin, and the resulting catalytic turnover was monitored by a colorimetric assay. It was found that reactors with a homogeneous PS matrix displayed improved performance. The trypsin muIMERs were used to digest a protein, beta-casein, in an on-line format and the digest was analysed by MALDI-TOF MS. The importance of tailoring the muIMER geometry and the PS-matrix is crucial for the protein digestion. Successful protein identification after only 12 s. digestion was demonstrated for the best reactor, 75 mum channel wall, 25 mum channel width, anodised at 50 mA cm(-2) for 10 min.